Dawn to Dusk
by Starlight Warrior 1092
Summary: Sequel to "Drifting Fox and the Melting Dawn". Moons have passed since the battle, and Meltdawn's kits are growing up. They soon have to learn who they can and can't trust, as they find themselves thrown into a prophecy beyond their control.
1. Rising Sun

**Okay, I know it's been a while. And starting a new story isn't the thing I've wanted to do at the moment, but I told yo guys that I'd be getting this up, so here it is. The sequel to Drifting Fox and the Melting Dawn. This takes place a few moons after the other one ended. Um, well... it will be told from all of the kits' point of veiw's, starting with Sunkit.**

**The prophecy mentioned in the summary is yet to come, since I don't have it one hundred percent... _thought out_ yet. But, I wanted to get a first chapter up to show you the characters and such. Chapters 1 through 4 shall each be from one of the kits, and then the rest won't be in a specific order of which cat gets which chapter.**

**I do not own Warriors.**

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"Is it time for us to become apprentices _yet?_" A not so small anymore kit meowed, scratching his impatient claws on the log that rested quietly in the camp. The pale ginger kit leaped up onto the log, his white paws sticking out from the dark bark.

"Not yet," A pale silver she cat meowed, purring. Her blue eyes watched him carefully, to make sure he wouldn't fall from the log. "You're only five moons old! Calm down, you'll fall off if you get to feisty."

"Yeah right," The kit laughed, his blue eye and brown eye filled with cheerfulness. "I won't fall off! I'm a _warrior!_ Warriors don't fall off of logs! We fight- we're _strong!_"

"You won't be too strong if you get hurt so soon to our apprentice's ceremony," another kit, a dark ginger tomcat with black paws and sky blue eyes, meowed. "If you're going to be smart, Sunkit, you won't hurt yourself." The kit snorted. "It would make quite a story!"

Sunkit growled at his brother, leaping at the kit and bowling him over. Driftkit let his brother roll him over before pushing away from him and knocking him to the ground. Sunkit let out a frustrated growl as his brother beat him. Sunkit crawled away a tail length before getting up and cleaning off his pelt.

"I'll show him," Sunkit muttered as he licked at his ruffled fur. "Just because he's bigger than me doesn't mean that he's a better fighter than me. And I'll show my clan... one day... StreamClan will be the strongest clan in the forest... once _I'm _a warrior."

"Right," Sunkit's pale tabby and white she cat sister, Mousekit, meowed. She padded past the ruffled tomcat, purring and flicking her tail. "We need to be ready to be apprentices as _soon_ as possible. Which means _no_ constantly getting yourself dirty, Sunkit. When was the last time you had a bath?"

"What does it _look_ like I'm doing?" Sunkit sighed.

"Come on, Cloudkit," Mousekit called to her sister. The pure white she cat padded over, her blue green eyes focused on the ground. She nodded to her sister, and the smaller she cat padded after Mousekit as they walked away.

"She's still not speaking?" Splashkit asked, shaking his head. Sunkit sighed. Cloudkit hadn't said a word since their mother, Meltdawn, was brought back to camp. Dead. Cloudkit had stayed at her side and refused to move. Sunkit could remember that day as if it were yesterday.

_Flashback..._

_"Where's Meltdawn?" Sunkit yowled, racing over to his father as the cats poured into the camp. There had been a big battle, and he was excited about learning all about it. His tiny tail flicked back and forth with anticipation._

_ The gray and black tomcat shook his head. "Sunkit... bring your littermates over here." Sunkit nodded, confused, but went and got his three siblings. Molewhisker was still there, cats still making their way into camp. Some were limping._

_ Sunkit could smell the thick scent of blood in the air. _Had the battle bee lost? Had it really gone _that_ badly?_ Molewhisker's face looked grim, and Sunkit was scared. _Was there something wrong with him?

_ "Where's Meltdawn?" Cloudkit whimpered, snuggled against Mousekit's side. "Where's my mommy?" Sunkit looked around, not seeing Meltdawn anywhere. Surely she hadn't been captured by FlameClan! Molewhisker would never let them take her!_

_"Your mother... Meltdawn," Molewhisker began. "Well, in life, things happen. In a battle, cats risk their lives for their clans. And when a warrior is taken down, they go down with honor. And your mother had a lot of honor."_

_ "Mommy," Cloudkit whispered, a tear falling from her eyes._

_ Mousekit gasped, and Driftkit hung his head. Sunkit just stared at Molewhisker. _What was he talking about? Every cat had honor. Why was everyone getting so sad?_ Sunkit tilted his head._

_ "She's dead, Sunkit," Molewhisker whispered. Sunkit couldn't move. Sure, cats died in battles, but no one _close_ to him had ever died in those battles! It was always some other cat's littermate, mate, mother or father... it was never someone close to him! Molewhisker _had_ to be lying... he just _had_ to!_

_ "No," Driftkit wailed. __"No, no, no, no, _no_! __You're lying, Molewhisker! Quit lying to us!" Tears ran from his eyes. "It isn't funny! This... it's all just a joke, isn't it? Just stop it Molewhisker! No one's laughing! It _isn't_ funny!"_

_ Molewhisker shook his head. Sunkit could tell that he was in more pain than could ever be physically caused to him by any battle. "It isn't a joke. I couldn't joke about something as cruel as that. I _loved_ her... so much..." He turned his head away from the kits, as if to show that he didn't want to cry in front of the kits._

_ That's when Sunkit caught sight of Rushingstar. He had a pale ginger pelt on his back. _Meltdawn_. He knew that it was his mother. But it just _couldn't_ possibly be her! She couldn't be dead! Who would care for them? Who would teach them? Who would sleep in the same nest as him, and tell him stories when he had nightmares just so he could fall asleep again? Why did she have to leave him?_

_ Cloudkit must've also caught sight of her mother's body, because she let out a frightened screech and raced over to the limp body. "Come back to me... come back mommy," was the last thing she had ever said. She hadn't said a word since that day. Almost four moons ago._

_End flashback..._

"No," Sunkit growled at the older kit. "She still won't speak. But if _you_ lost _your_ mother, would you be happy anytime soon? It took us _four moons_ to get back to being normal kits again."

"Mostly," Splashkit meowed, flicking his tail and padding away. Sunkit growled as the other kit left. It wasn't Cloudkit's fault Meltdawn had died. She just chose to cope with it in a different way than others! And if Splashkit would make fun of her about that, Splashkit would feel his claws soon...

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**Well, now you've got chapter one. Splashkit is Sunkit's main rival at the moment, but if it wasn't told in _this_ chapter, Spashkit gets a different "looking at" by one of the other characters.**

**So hey, tell me what you think. Review?**


	2. Silent Clouds

**Hey, I'm glad that you liked chapter one! And I'm quite sorry about how kind of... well, _late_ this chapter is. I should've gotten it up earlier, but, well, life's been crazy. School's been crazy. In one week (13th to 20th) we've had two bomb threats, multiple shooting threats, rumors of guns, gun clips, and knives found at _my_ school and my _younger sister's_ school, and MANY other things. Gosh. I know- why isn't this letting me write? Well, I've been nervous, and not feeling like sitting and writing, more of feeling scared for the next day. But after having MULTIPLE police cars, a fire truck and an ambulance come to our school, I feel safer.**

**Heh, well, I don't own Warriors. Warriors is _copyright_ Erin Hunter.**

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"Cloudkit, come on this way," Mousekit meowed to her younger sister. She wanted to show Cloudkit this flower patch that she had found, just outside of camp. Sure, it was against the warrior code for a kit- or two, for that fact- to be out of camp. But the warriors never caught her before, so... it was worth a shot.

Cloudkit tipped her head, in what Mousekit recognized as a questioning pose. Mousekit knew that her sister wouldn't talk to anyone anymore, but she still wished for that day when Cloudkit would be strong enough to talk again. Meltdawn's death seemed to have hurt her the most of the four kits...

"I wanted to show you something, something pretty," Mousekit replied, flicking her tail over behind the nursery. "It's kind of... out of the camp. If we be careful, though, no one will catch us."

Cloudkit nodded. And so the two kits went, over to the back of the nursery, and out the hole in the wall that Mousekit had discovered a moon earlier. Only yesterday she had found that the patch of flowers was now blooming. They had such beautiful purple flowers; Cloudkit just _had_ to see them!

Cloudkit sniffed at the exit before nodding her head. Mousekit nodded and pushed her way out of the small hole in the camp wall. The brambles snagged on her pelt, but she ignored them. She wanted to show Cloudkit these flowers. Mousekit turned and watched as Cloudkit, who was slightly smaller than her, squeezed her way out easily. Cloudkit licked at her slightly ruffled fur and nodded to Mousekit. Mousekit smiled. Her sister, whether she talked or not, was her best friend. She just _saw_ her, more than any other cat.

Mousekit raced through the bushes in front of her, Cloudkit following close behind. Mousekit slowed down to a stop as she came across the bush. It was covered in green, slightly shiny leaves, with tons of small, bright purple flowers splattered across the stems. Forming around some of the flowers were small, black berries. They looked... tasty.

"Should I eat a berry?" Mousekit asked her sister, turning to see Cloudkit's response. When Cloudkit shook her head "no", Mousekit frowned. "It won't _hurt_ me at all, if that's what you're thinking."

Cloudkit rapidly nodded her head "yes". _What is she talking about? I wonder if she knows what kind of berry this is... I'll have to find out._ "Do you know what berry this is?" Cloudkit shook her head "yes". Mousekit nodded, smiling. "Is it a ... _holly _berry?"

Cloudkit shook her head no.

"...um... _death berries?_"

Cloudkit shook her head rapidly "yes".

Mousekit sat still for a moment. _Cloudkit got saved me from eating poisonous berries that would've killed me... and to think that I was mouse brained enough to think that they wouldn't harm me at all! Cloudkit _would_ know what kind of berries they are..._ "Thanks, Cloudkit. I owe you one."

Cloudkit nodded her head, closed her eyes and gave Mousekit a warm smiled.

_She was stuck in the medicine cat's den for such a long time when she first stopped speaking..._

_"Can I go see Cloudkit please?" A smaller Mousekit, only two moons old, asked the silvery queen Silverstorm. She hadn't seen her sister in a couple of days, since the medicine cat, Mallowfoot, had been taking care of her._

_ Silverstorm sighed. "Fine, but if Mallowfoot tells you to leave, then you should listen to him, okay?" Silverstorm looked like she didn't want Mousekit to see her sister. But Mousekit didn't want to lose Meltdawn _and_ Cloudkit!_

_ "Thanks!" Mousekit called over her shoulder as she barreled out of the nursery and straight over to the medicine cat's den. Before entering the den, she stopped and sniffed. She could smell Mallowfoot and his apprentice, Skunkpaw. There was also a small scent of her sister, Cloudkit, towards the back of the den._

_ "Mallowfoot!" Mousekit called into the den. A moment later, the medicine cat's head stuck out from the entrance to the den. _

_ "Yes Mousekit? Is something wrong? Is anyone ill?" Mallowfoot asked. He was always concerned for kits and their mothers._

_ "No," Mousekit replied, shaking her head. "I just came over to see Cloudkit. Silverstorm told me that I could if you let me." Mousekit looked up at the medicine cat with big, pleading eyes. She knew that he couldn't resist kits._

_ The medicine cat sighed, giving in to the younger cat. "Sure, you can come see her. But only for a little bit. I still haven't gotten her to talk yet, so maybe you can get her to..." Mallowfoot flicked his tail for her to follow him, so Mousekit did. "She's in the back; you can go talk with her. I'll be over here, sorting these herbs."_

_ "Okay," Mousekit meowed, padding over towards the back of the den._

_ "And don't eat anything!" Mallowfoot called to the kit, who nodded._

_ "Cloudkit?" Mousekit called as she found the back of the den. It was a large den, able to fit many cats in different sections- kind of like their own little dens. The pure white head of her sister raised and looked over to her. Mousekit could see pain in her sister's blue green eyes._

_ "Cloudkit, are you feeling better?" Mousekit asked. Cloudkit responded by tipping her head to one side. No response other than that. Mousekit frowned. "Will you talk to _anyone_?" Cloudkit shook her head and put it back down onto her paws._

_ Giving a slight growl, Mousekit padded over to her sister. Cloudkit turned away from her. Mousekit walked around to Cloudkit's other side. Cloudkit turned away again. Mousekit, frustrated, sat down and licked at her ruffled chest fur. _Why won't Cloudkit let me get close to her? Why does she keep pushing me away?_ Sighing, Mousekit started to clean Cloudkit's fur, taking out the snarls that Cloudkit hadn't bothered to clean from her own pelt._

_ Mousekit didn't say a word, and neither did Cloudkit. Both sat there, but Mousekit could tell that Cloudkit was slowly opening up to her sister again. Mousekit licked at Cloudkit's ears. She wanted to hear her sister purr, but she knew that she wouldn't. There was nothing wrong with Cloudkit, she realized. She just wasn't going to talk. No matter what medicine she was given, there wasn't a thing wrong with her. Heartache was the only thing, and nothing could cure that._

_ "Cloudkit, I'm sorry. I won't force you to talk to me if you don't want to, and I won't push you to do things," Mousekit whispered to her sister. She felt Cloudkit stiffen. "I love you for who you are- and that's my sister. If you chose to never say another word to me, I'll still love you. If you even chose to hate me, I'm still your sister, and I'm still here for you."_

_ Cloudkit looked over at Mousekit, and at that moment, Mousekit knew that one day, Cloudkit would speak again. She knew that something would mend the whole in her heart- someone, someday. If she ever let a cat in, she would talk again. And that was just fine with Mousekit. Mousekit smiled as Cloudkit licked her ear, touching noses with her __sister._

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**Well, there's a little "inside the mind of Cloudkit" telling some of _why_ she isn't talking. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter shouldn't be _too_ long of a wait, hopefully. Feel free to bother me, I don't get bothered, but it does make me want to write more. :D**


	3. Promises and Prophecies

**Hey all you fans! If anyone's still reading this, here's the next chapter! I was going to have it posted yesterday, but it was getting late and I wasn't sure if anyone would be awake to read it. So I decided on today after school instead. Is that okay? I hope it is.**

**I do not own Warriors. And... chapters... I don't know if I can get them out quickly or slowly, sometimes it just depends on the day... sometimes I can't write, and last night I was writing one of my on-going stories for the first time in _weeks_. And it just _happened_ to be this story. So yay.**

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"Driftkit, come _on_," Splashkit called to the younger kit. Driftkit, eyes bright, chased after the other tomcat. Splashkit was only less than a moon older than him, but Driftkit was almost as big as the other kit.

"I'm coming!" Driftkit yowled, barreling after the older tomcat. The ginger tomcat with the black paws didn't want to give up, and lose the race. He wanted to prove that even a major emotional setback didn't cause him to be any less of a warrior than any other kit. Driftkit _hated_ losing, and _hated_ looking weak in front of other cats. He missed his mother, yes, but he really wanted to be the best he could be. He actually dreamed of being leader one day. Most kits did for a while, but Driftkit wasn't about to give up on that goal.

Splashkit slowed down to a stop and Driftkit shot past him. Splashkit laughed. "Driftkit, the finish line is back _here!_ What, can't you see it? Or are you blind? A blind kit to go with a mute one!"

Driftkit growled. "I'm _not_ blind! And it's not _my_ fault that Cloudkit won't talk! That's _her_ problem. It doesn't affect me in any way, other than _I'm_ being made fun of for her choice!" Driftkit's tail lashed back and forth. Cloudkit always made her littermates look bad. All because she refused to talk! If _he_ refused to talk, no one would talk him seriously! And yet she gets all of the care because she doesn't talk. Someone needed to _make_ her talk sometime...

"So, want to go get some fresh kill?" Splashkit asked, flicking his tail over to the prey pile. Driftkit nodded. "You know, Driftkit. Not everyone looks down on you because your sister isn't smart enough to talk. It's _her_ problem. If she wants to talk sometime, the leader will act like StarClan's blessing us! Now come on- I'm _starving!_"

"Yeah, sure," Driftkit laughed. He loved hanging around with Splashkit. He couldn't see why Sunkit was always so negative about him hanging out with the older kit. Probably because Sunkit didn't like that Splashkit thought it was weird that Cloudkit couldn't talk. Or, well, _didn't_ talk. Everyone knew she _could_, but she just never did. Not after their mother died. And Driftkit _hated_ seeing her getting all of the special treatment for her death.

"Hey Greenkit," Driftkit meowed quietly, turning away from her gaze as the two toms padded over to the pile of prey. Greenkit looked over at Driftkit and stuck her nose up in the air, padding away. Driftkit blushed and looked over at Splashkit, who started laughing.

"What?" Driftkit asked loudly, his face turning red while his claws dug into the ground.

"You _like_ my _sister?_" Splashkit laughed. Driftkit growled at the tomcat, leaping at him and tackling him to the ground. The two rolled around on the ground, trying to pin one another down, until Splashkit finally threw Driftkit away from him with a mighty kick.

"_So?_" Driftkit growled, licking at his fur and smirking at his friend. "I like whatever she cats I want to! And Greenkit's just so..."

"She annoys me," Splashkit meowed, shrugging. "I just hope that you don't spend _too_ much time padding after her. She seems to like Sunkit, to me."

"She can't," Driftkit growled, clawing at the ground. "If she likes Sunkit... I'll have to show her that I'm better! I can beat Sunkit at _anything!_ Why can't she notice me?" Driftkit turned to Splashkit and smirked. "Could you _help_ me win your sister over?"

"Maybe," Splashkit meowed, grinning. "But it will cost you."

"Cost me what?" Driftkit asked. Splashkit was just grinning. Driftkit didn't like the look on his face, but he _really_ wanted to win over Greenkit. He would do _whatever_ it took to get that she cat.

"You're going to help me make Cloudkit speak," Splashkit meowed. "First, we'll try putting a thorn in her nest. Then we'll continue if that doesn't work." Before Driftkit could say anything, Splashkit meowed quickly, "We're not going to hurt her! We're just going to get her to make some sort of sound- a squeal, a peep, _something_."

Driftkit thought for a while. He didn't want to hurt his sister, and he _wouldn't_... but... he was really getting bothered by her. She had to stay silent all of the time and make everyone care more about her than any of the other kits.

"I'm in," Driftkit meowed.

Splashkit grinned. "Good, I thought you'd be. Soon, we'll be apprentices, and we won't have any queens watching over us, so if we can't get her to make any noise by the time we become apprentices, then we'll be all clear to try while we're apprentices!"

"Uh, yeah," Driftkit meowed, avoiding eye contact with the other tomcat. _Is this right? Should I really be so jealous that she's getting all of the attention when I'm not getting enough?_ Driftkit only had to think for a moment. _Yes._

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Mallowfoot watched the kits. His apprentice, the newly named Skunktail, was sorting the herbs near the back of the den. But Mallowfoot couldn't concentrate right now. Not after what he had heard the night before.

_ "Mallowfoot." Mallowfoot opened his eyes and saw a starry cat walking over towards him. He instantly recognized the pale ginger StarClan cat. Meltdawn!_

_ "Meltdawn," Mallowfoot meowed. "Why are you here? Is... Is something wrong?"_

_ The pale ginger she cat looked at him, sorrow shining in her eyes. "Mallowfoot, dark times are coming. The peace of the clans isn't going to stay for long. I have a prophecy for you."_

_ "A prophecy?" Mallowfoot whispered, shuddering. Prophecies only meant bad things. No good ever came from a prophecy. Not in a long time..._

_ "Listen carefully," Meltdawn meowed. Her eyes glowed like the stars, and the scenery changed. Mallowfoot found himself alone, except for the presence of Meltdawn. He could still feel as if she was there._

_ "Where are you?" Mallowfoot asked. "Where am I?"_

_ "Light rises with the sun..." Mallowfoot watched as the sun appeared in the sky, rising and banishing the darkness._

_ "As darkness is banished to the night..." The scene changed again. The sun sank into the ground, and the moon rose, bringing the darkness back to the world._

_ "Ashes to ashes and dust fades to dust... those who seem to stray do not deserve trust..." The sun went up, then down again as the moon rose, then sunk again. Again and again, the cycle continued._

_ "Though trust can be found in many forms..." The last thing that Mallowfoot saw was instead of the sun, a giant ball of fire swept out across the ground, banishing the darkness instead of the sun._

Mallowfoot watched his clan, trying to get the prophecy out of his head. Meltdawn's words were ominous, and he didn't want to wait for the prophecy to come true. Not knowing what the prophecy meant, Mallowfoot didn't know what to look for.

"Why can't StarClan tell us exactly what they see? It would make life so much easier..." Mallowfoot sighed, licking at his fur. "I can only pray that the clan will make it through..."

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**So, now there's a prophecy too! And it just _happens_ that I know most of the things that are going to happen, but I'm still filling in the cracks. Um, well, now you've got a chapter from Driftkit (and Mallowfoot!). Except the chapters in no order (as of character's POV), and expect in one of the next few chapters to be from _someone else's _point of view that isn't one of the litter... or Mallowfoot...**

**Please read and review. It really makes my day! And CC is _always_ welcome!**


	4. Not Strong Enough Yet

**Hey you all! I know I haven't updated much so far, but... Wow, the ending of a freshman's year is a LOT more difficult that I thought it would be. Millions of tests, quizzes, projects, etc. Wow. Not much time to write, and there have been other things too. Planning a cosplay for MatsuriCon (however you spell it...), attending my first funeral (worst thing ever... so sad! ;_;), etc.**

**I do not own Warriors. Only a little longer 'till school's out- which means more chapters sooner! (Just let me finish my Honors Biology project first!)**

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_They're so beautiful... even if they are deadly._ Cloudkit looked at the violet flowers on the nightshade bush, shuddering at the thought of just _one_ of the small red or black berries could kill a kit her size. _Mallowfoot told me about death berries when I was stuck in the medicine cat's den _forever_. I'm just glad that Mousekit didn't eat one of them._

"Maybe we should go back to camp..." Mousekit meowed, facing Cloudkit. "Someone might start wondering where we are, and I don't want you to get in trouble for something I caused."

_I wouldn't blame you. I'm the one who followed you._ Cloudkit's licked Mousekit's ear as they padded back to the hole in the wall. Both she cats squeezed through and back into the camp before anyone noticed they were gone. They had only been gone for a few minutes, so no one really _should've _noticed.

Except maybe Silverstorm. Silverstorm had always tried to treat Cloudkit as her own kit ever since Meltdawn had died.

"Cloudkit? Where are you?" Cloudkit stuck out her tongue at hearing the queen's yowls.

_Why can't she just leave me alone? I'm _not_ her kit!_

Cloudkit and Mousekit padded over to where the queen would be able to see them. And Silverstorm _did_ see them. Seeing the little Cloudkit, she raced over and started licking at her ruffled fur.

"I was so worried about you!" Silverstorm meowed between licks.

_You don't have to. I. Am. Not. Your. Kit. _

"Do you know how long I was looking for you?" Silverstorm meowed. "I was searching the _entire camp_! I almost asked Rushingstar to send out a patrol to look for you! Please, stay close to the nursery. I wouldn't want you to get hurt at all..."

_Yeah, worry about me all you want. I was out of your sight for what- five minutes? Sheesh... overprotective._ Cloudkit flinched away from Silverstorm. She flicked her tail back and forth, wanting to hiss at the queen and tell her to leave her alone, but she wasn't going to.

"Silverstorm, calm down, we were just playing," Mousekit meowed. Cloudkit wished that she wouldn't have done that.

Silverstorm turned and faced the other kit, anger in her eyes. "Cloudkit _knows_ not to do anything bad, Mousekit! You're a bad role model for her, and you should just go play with your brothers instead! I mean, she could've been _hurt!_"

"I would _never_ hurt my sister!" Mousekit hissed, her fur ruffling and her claws sinking into the ground. Cloudkit raced to her sister's side, ruffling her fur, but putting her tail on her sister's shoulder to try to lead her away from the queen.

_Please, Mousekit. Let's just leave... You'll only get into trouble! I wouldn't want you to get into trouble for no reason at all!_ Cloudkit started to pad away, Mousekit following her. Cloudkit turned her head back at the queen for a moment. Silverstorm looked shocked that Cloudkit had stood up for Mousekit. Cloudkit shot the queen a glare that spoke for itself. Don't mess with my family.

Silverstorm shook her head, her tail drooping. _She needs to learn,_ Cloudkit thought to herself bitterly. _That she isn't my mother. She will never _be_ my mother. Why can't she just stay away? She's hurting her own kits... Plumpaw and Gorsepaw are so sad because all she cares about is me... I hate that... _A tear dropped from Cloudkit's eyes. _I hate that so much._

Cloudkit padded away with Mousekit over to the fresh kill pile. Cloudkit mentally sighed; her sister was being too quiet. Mousekit was usually pretty loud, since she loved talking with the apprentices, and even sometimes the warriors would chat with the kit. And Cloudkit knew why everyone liked talking with her. Mousekit was a good talker. She always seemed to know the right thing to say, when she wanted to say the right thing. Some of the toms would just watch her, and listen to her talk. Mousekit might've disliked her plain tabby pelt, but Cloudkit knew that some of the toms in the clan really liked her pelt, since they could see her beauty. The beauty that Mousekit just couldn't find herself.

Cloudkit snagged a thrush with her claws. She pulled the dead bird closer to her, and then grabbed it with her sharp teeth. After letting Mousekit grab a piece of prey- a squirrel- the two she cats headed back to the den. Cloudkit loved to take the feathers off of the bird as she ate it, and then let them dry out a little. After finishing her prey, Cloudkit would always weave the feathers into her nest, and the nests of her littermates.

But today, as Cloudkit dropped her prey next to her nest and plopped down, she felt a sharp pain stab into her flesh. Resisting the urge to squeal, as she had done long ago, Cloudkit stood up and turned to look at her side. Mousekit noticed her sister stand up quickly, so she wanted to see what was wrong. Cloudkit licked at her flank.

"A thorn!" Mousekit gasped, reaching over to her sister and pulling the thorn lightly from her pelt. "I wonder how that got into your nest..." Cloudkit watched as Mousekit's eyes darted back and forth, searching the cats and kits in the nursery. Cloudkit saw that Mousekit's eyes rested on Splashkit, one of the older kits. Driftkit was sitting next to him, cleaning his fur.

"I'll be back," Mousekit hissed darkly, getting out of her nest and padding over towards the two toms. "Hey!" Mousekit called to Splashkit. The tomcat looked up at her, a sleepy look in his eyes.

Yawning, Splashkit asked, "What is it, Mousekit?"

He didn't seem to realize that Mousekit's pelt was prickling with anger. Cloudkit watched for another heartbeat before padding over to join her sister. Cloudkit jumped a little at the tone of Mousekit's voice.

"What do you think you're _doing?_ You fox-heart!" Mousekit hissed, baring her teeth at the older kit. "Why do you _always_ have to be causing trouble? Just _leave my sister alone, fox-dung!_" Mousekit's claws ripped through the soft dirt at her paws. "I _hate_ you!"

Shock filled Splashkit's face for a moment, and Cloudkit could see pain flash through his eyes for a split second. But then his face turned cold. "What did _I_ do?" His voice was cold. It scared Cloudkit.

"You keep putting _thorns_ in Cloudkit's nest!" Mousekit yowled, swiping her paw at his face. Splashkit, noticing her claws were out, quickly pulled his head backwards, saving himself from scars on his face.

"Crow-food!" Splashkit hissed. "You almost _scarred_ me!"

"Leave us alone, fox-heart," Mousekit meowed steadily, catching a hold of her anger and putting it away. Cloudkit could tell that Mousekit was calm again. She was good at controlling her anger most of the time. Mousekit flicked her tail and padded back to her nest, Cloudkit following her.

"Cloudkit," Mousekit meowed, once both sisters were in their nests. "I'm sorry I was so loud. I just _hate_ it..." Cloudkit could see the pain on her sister's face. "I just hate it when they're mean to you... I feel... I feel like I need to protect you... I promised Meltdawn..." Her voice cracked as she said her mother's name. "I promised her that I'd take care of you..."

_I hate seeing you like this... I wish you'd realize that you don't _have_ to take care of me... I'm a strong cat, Mousekit._ Cloudkit licked her sister's ear before lying down in her own nest. _I'm just not strong enough __yet..._

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**Well, writing for a character who _doesn't_ speak is difficult. But she will, hopefully, sometime. Cloudkit's one of my favorites! Poor Driftkit's misguided... just sayin'.**

**Please review. They changed the button, and so not many people have been clicking on it. It feels sad- please make it happy! :D**


	5. Green Eyes

**I got a ONE HUNDRED PERCENT 80 out of 80 on my Honors Biology project! Yay! And to celebrate- a NEW CHAPTER!**

**I do not own Warriors, nor do I ever hope to...**

* * *

"From this moment on, you shall be known as Sunpaw." Sunpaw looked up at his leader. Rushingstar looked proud to have a new apprentice in the clan- or four.

"Sunpaw! Sunpaw! Sunpaw!" The clan cheered, and Sunpaw couldn't believe how _great_ it felt to be an apprentice. He never, _ever_ wanted to be a kit again. Sunpaw's new mentor, a she cat named Hazelfeather, padded over to him. Reaching up, he touched noses with her. Sure, he had _wanted_ Weedwing to be his mentor, but Hazelfeather seemed nice too.

"Congrats," Hazelfeather whispered to him. Sunpaw listened as his littermates got their apprentice names and their mentors. Mousekit, now Mouse_paw_, got Bramblefang as a mentor, Cloud_paw_ got Sandmask as a mentor, and Drift_paw_ got... _Weedwing_ as a mentor. The fur on Sunpaw's neck rose slightly as he heard everyone call his brother's name. _It should've been me, getting Weedwing as a mentor! Why Driftpaw, why _always_ Driftpaw?_

"Let's go," Hazelfeather meowed. "You should probably go and chose a nest in the apprentices den. There you can talk with the other apprentices, learn about how difficult training is, and such." Hazelfeather winked at him, and Sunpaw wondered if she was _serious_ about how difficult the training was. With a gulp, he padded over to meet his littermates at the apprentices den.

"We're _apprentices!_" Mousepaw squealed with joy. Sunpaw smiled at seeing his sister so happy- she was usually cross about Silverstorm always trying to act like Cloudkit- err, Cloud_paw's_- mother.

"Good job, everyone," Greenpaw meowed kindly as she padded over. "Mousepaw, Bramblefang's a great mentor, according to some friends of mine." Mousepaw's eyes lit up. "Cloudpaw, good luck. Sandmask talks a _lot_." Cloudpaw nodded her head. "Sunpaw, Hazelfeather's great. Did you know that she was a really close friend of your mother's?" Sunpaw shook his head. _Who would've known?_ "And Driftpaw..." Greenpaw's eyes seemed to show disgust with the tomcat. _I wonder why..._ "You're lucky, getting the deputy." Driftpaw didn't seem too happy about the chill in her voice when she talked to him, but he still nodded.

"Let's let you four pick out some nests," Thistlepaw meowed, motioning to the new den. "We made them yesterday. You can move them wherever in the den you want to, just not in the middle."

"That's _my_ spot," Splashpaw meowed proudly, puffing up his chest.

"_Yeah_," Thistlepaw meowed, rolling his eyes at the other tomcat. "Why don't you guys pick out your nests, as us some questions, and then go find your mentors?"

Everyone nodded. They all padded into the den. In the center was a nest thick with Splashpaw's scent, with Greenpaw and Thistlepaw's nest close by. Sunpaw padded over and found a nest as _far_ from Splashpaw as he could, and Cloudpaw and Mousepaw followed him. None really cared for the bossy, know-it-all apprentice. Greenpaw seemed to purr about that.

"What do you think we'll learn first?" Mousepaw asked.

"Probably hunting, collecting moss, or cleaning out the elder's den," Greenpaw purred, looking at the disgusted faces of the new apprentices as they heard the part about _cleaning out the elders den._ "Don't worry, it's not as bad as it seems."

"It's much worse," Splashpaw laughed.

"_Right_," Thistlepaw meowed. "The training's tough sometimes, but it's a lot of fun. You'll see when you get to start- you get to learn so much... and it feels good that you'll be able to take care of the clan."

"Sunpaw!" Sunpaw's ears perked, hearing Hazelfeather's voice calling for him.

"I have to go now," Sunpaw mumbled, dipping his head to the older apprentices. They nodded, and his littermates followed him out, knowing that they would be called for soon too.

"Sunpaw," Hazelfeather meowed, nodding her head to her apprentice. "Time to leave." She nodded to the camp entrance. Bubbling up with excitement, a grin spread across Sunpaw's face. He had never been out of the camp before!

"What will we be doing?" Sunpaw asked. _Patrolling, hunting, fighting practice, even collecting moss! Just don't say we're getting moss _for the elders den_, please!_ Sunpaw's tail flicked back and forth.

"You'll have to wait and see," Hazelfeather purred, leading the small tomcat out of the camp. Sunpaw couldn't believe it! The outside world was so _huge!_ The trees were taller than any of the ones in camp, and the bushes! They were so green! The ones in camp were a pale green, or brown, but _these_ bushes were beautiful!

"We're going to the FlameClan border," Hazelfeather informed her apprentice. "I'm going to show you the borders so you will be able to tell the different clans apart. There are two clans..."

"FlameClan and EarthClan!" Sunpaw squealed, knowing the other two clans thanks to his father, Molewhisker. Poor, poor Molewhisker. He was always so depressed now that Meltdawn had died. "Other than StreamClan, of course."

"FlameClan lives amongst the trees, many more than out territory," Hazelfeather meowed. "Where we have a few trees, they've got a whole forest of them. They're strong, but not as physically strong as StreamClan cats. That's why they have to use their special moves to try to throw us off balance." Hazelfeather's eyes lingered on the border.

_I wonder why..._ Sunpaw thought, looking across the border. There was a patrol of FlameClan cats coming their way. _That must've been what Hazelfeather spotted!_ He straightened up, trying to look bigger than he actually was.

"Hazelfeather," one of the cats meowed, dipping her head. It was a gray she cat. She must've known Hazelfeather, Sunpaw decided.

"Sootcloud," Hazelfeather meowed. Her eyes drifted to the other two cats. A small kit looking one stood beside Sootcloud, and Sunpaw guessed it was her apprentice. And a big ginger tomcat stood beside the apprentice. "Foxdrift." There seemed to be _venom_ in her voice. _Does she not like him?_

"Why are you so close to the border?" The tomcat, Foxdrift, growled. Sunpaw wrinkled his nose, smelling the FlameClan odor. How could FlameClan cats stand to live together? They must all smell the same...

"I'm showing my apprentice around the borders," Hazelfeather growled back, flicking her tail towards Sunpaw, who puffed out his chest. "This is Sunpaw."

Some emotion flashed through Foxdrift's eyes- shock? Sorrow? Guilt? _I wonder why... _Thought Sunpaw. _Maybe I'm confused... about it..._ Sootcloud gasped.

"Is that... Meltdawn's kit?" Sootcloud asked. Sunpaw was confused- did Meltdawn _know_ these cats? And why would she care?

Hazelfeather nodded. "This is Sunpaw, one of the four." Sunpaw noticed her eyes were sharply watching Foxdrift. _What's so special about him?_ "And who's that, with you?"

"This is Ashpaw," Sootcloud meowed, motioning to the small gray kit. "She's my new apprentice." Sunpaw watched the younger apprentice shy away. She looked only five moons old, yet she was already an apprentice. _Lucky her. I was locked in the nursery at five moons old._

"Watch out," Sootcloud meowed suddenly. Sunpaw looked at her, tilting his head.

"What do you mean?" Hazelfeather asked, noticing Sunpaw's head tilted. Sunpaw felt that he should talk to the warriors of the other clans, because it might be disrespectful.

"There's a cat, which used to be in our clan," Foxdrift started.

"She killed one of our kits," Sootcloud finished. "Rosekit was slain in her nest a few nights ago."

"Her poor mother," Hazelfeather whispered.

"Her mother is... Springcloud," Sootcloud meowed. "She's... dead too."

"Oh," Hazelfeather meowed, looking to the ground. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Ashpaw's eyes were focused on Sunpaw, he realized. Sunpaw shifted uncomfortably and turned his gaze away from her.

"Who's your father?" Ashpaw asked, her eyes focused on Sunpaw. "I don't think that you said... at all..."

Sunpaw turned his eyes to Foxdrift, that FlameClan cat for a second. He felt _so_ weird with the tomcat's eyes forever glued to his pelt! Sunpaw turned his eyes back to Ashpaw. "My father's name is Molewhisker." Sunpaw watched as Foxdrift cringed. "Why are you wondering?"

"Your eyes look similar to my sister's eyes," Ashpaw meowed. "Maybe they're just... similar." She shrugged. Sunpaw looked into the eyes of all of the warriors. They all seemed to be... _hiding_ something from him and Ashpaw. _I wonder what they're hiding..._

"Well, time to see the other borders," Hazelfeather meowed, leading Sunpaw away from the border. Sunpaw nodded, looking back at the FlameClan border for a second. Something caught his eye. Between the dark branches of one of the bushes, Sunpaw spotted something that looked like _eyes_. Green eyes. But they were gone when he looked back. Shrugging it off, Sunpaw hurried after Hazelfeather to learn the rest of his territory.

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**Will anyone please review? The other story, Drifting Fox and the Melting Dawn was so popular, but this one... Meep. Reviews make my day! (And they MIGHT just inspire me to update again before I have to leave on Friday for vacation- that might not have any wifi- just sayin'.)**


	6. Falling Ashes

**This is for you, Guest who reviewed on Reasons telling me to update this story instead! That made me laugh a little. What, you don't want more Reasons? Eh, this story is turning out kind of good so far...**

**Anyway, here's an update. I don't own Warriors...**

**-x-**

"Sootcloud, why doesn't Foxdrift like StreamClan at all?" Ashpaw asked her mentor as they padded back towards camp. Foxdrift had slowed down so much that he wouldn't be able to hear them chatting.

"He doesn't _not_ like StreamClan," Sootcloud meowed. She purred, flicking her ears. "He's just had a... _complicated past_ with StreamClan." Sootcloud sighed, shaking her head. "Let's just say that my brother hasn't had the easiest life as a warrior so far. He's lost some cats pretty close to him."

"Like my mother?" Ashpaw asked. Her mother had been slain a while ago, while she was still a little kit. Ashpaw felt stronger now, being an apprentice. Her sister, Rosekit, kept coming into her mind. Rosekit would've been an apprentice too, if she hadn't... _died_. "A-and Rosekit?"

Sootcloud's eyes softened. "Yes, like those two. And he had a good friend in StreamClan, too, who was killed long ago." Ashpaw tilted her head. _Aren't you not supposed to have friends in other clans?_ "Her name was Meltdawn."

_Sunpaw's mother._ "Oh," Ashpaw meowed, looking down at the ground. _That's why Sunpaw seemed so sad._ "It probably took a while for him to get over that."

"Yeah, but probably not any more than you did," Sootcloud meowed. "They both died on the same day." Ashpaw's eyes widened. _On the same day? That must've been hard for Foxdrift. No wonder he's having so much trouble... all of the time..._ Foxdrift had been very sad for the past few moons, and Ashpaw never knew why. Now she did.

"Oh wow," Ashpaw continued as she walked back towards camp. She never knew that her father had such a difficult life before. Now she felt really bad for all of the times that she had been not so nice to him for not being the overly loving parent that Springcloud had been, and that she wanted.

"Yeah," Sootcloud meowed. "But hey, I've had to live with him for all of this time. And he's always been a great brother." Her eyes met Ashpaw's eyes. "Even if he hasn't always been the greatest father to you and Yellowpaw..." Ashpaw almost wanted to dare her to say Rosekit's name too, but she said nothing. Ashpaw _knew_ that Sootcloud had always liked Rosekit a lot, since the friendly little kit warmed the hearts of all of the FlameClan cats.

Ashpaw dug her claws into the ground for a moment. A voice seemed to echo through her memories. _She had to go... she didn't get to live... she was too weak..._ Ashpaw looked up at the sky. _I'm sorry, Rosekit. Sometimes I wish that you hadn't died, that you might have been stronger, and you might've lived..._ Ashpaw's eyes darkened. _And... If only it had been someone else... _A smirk crossed her face._ Poor, poor Flameheart. She was banished. Exiled. Left for dead. All because of sweet little, kind and innocent Rosekit._

"Come on, let's get some prey and then you can go and get in your nest," Sootcloud meowed. Ashpaw nodded. Grabbing a mouse from the fresh kill pile, she headed over to her nest while she looked around for her sister, Yellowpaw. Her sister's golden pelt stood out among the green and brown of her nest.

Ashpaw smiled to herself. She loved Yellowpaw so much, being the sister that she's always wanted. Yellowpaw was always so strong, and she looked up to Ashpaw like she _should_. Ashpaw liked that, she really liked that.

Ashpaw settled herself down into her nest beside her sister. _Think happy thoughts..._ Her eyes slowly closed, yet her heart beat faster than ever before. _Don't... think... dark thoughts..._ Ashpaw cringed, knowing what would happen the moment she fell asleep.

_"Wake up." Ashpaw opened her eyes slowly, dreading the voice that she heard. Forcing her eyes open, she looked around. Once again, she was in the darkest forest that she had ever seen. _Why does it have to be me that wake up here? I bet Rosekit never had to...

_ "Y-yes?" Ashpaw whimpered, looking up at the big black tomcat sitting in front of her. His cold yellow eyes were watching her sharply. "W-what is it, Blackfrost?"_

_ Blackfrost blinked his eyes, a smirk crossing his face. "Well, since you want to know, I was..." He coughed. "_Willing_, to teach you some battle moves." He could easily see the interest that sparked into Ashpaw's eyes. If there was something that she really liked, it was fighting. She wanted to be the best fighter ever._

_ Recently, Blackfrost had told her that he needed proof that she wouldn't just go _soft_ on him, so she had to do whatever he said. Put thorns in the other kits' nests, done. Back talk to the queens, done. Get rough in 'play fighting', done. It was just the last thing that had scared her so much._

_ Blackfrost could sense the fear in her eyes. She was thinking about her sister, Rosekit, again. "You know, Rosekit was so weak. She would never have become a strong warrior like you will, Ashpaw. I can tell that you'll be a strong warrior, I can _see_ it."_

_ Ashpaw straightened. She didn't want Blackfrost to know about any fear that she might have. "I _know_ that I'll be the best warrior in my clan." Her eyes flashed with determination. "You've already _told_ me that."_

_ Blackfrost smiled. "So I have." He licked his paw, and drew it over his ears. Getting up, he padded over towards the edge of the forest. Turning back, he meowed, "Are you coming?"_

_ Ashpaw nodded, a grin crossing her face. "Of _course_ I'm coming!" Ashpaw tore after him, the yucky grass being ripped up behind her. It was a dark brown, and felt like a swamp instead. Ignoring the fact that the entire _forest_ made her sick, she raced after her nighttime mentor. She loved being able to train in the day and the night. In the day, her clan mates always went so soft on her since she was a new apprentice. But at _night_, Blackfrost taught her how to be a strong warrior, a _true_ warrior. Sure, she was a little scared of him, since this was only the third time that he had visited her in her dreams, but... she felt a _connection_ to the tomcat. There was something about him that she really liked. _

_ For just a moment, Ashpaw's thoughts drifted to Rosekit. She must've been in StarClan right now. But... she wasn't a warrior, so _could_ she go to StarClan? Ashpaw decided yes, she could. StarClan was where all of the weak warriors went after they died. That's what Blackfrost had told her. They didn't need to fight and strive for their survival. They were like fat kittypets, eating whenever they wanted to without any effort at all. Ashpaw clawed at the ground. _She_ wasn't going to become some lazy kittypet!_

_ "Wait for me!" Ashpaw yowled in glee, following Blackfrost to a small meadow hidden away in the forest. _That's_ where they would train. Seeing him turn around, Ashpaw got down into a fighting stance. And when Blackfrost flicked his tail, Ashpaw felt stronger than the strongest warrior ever. So she leaped._

**-x-**

**Well, how was that? I kinda want a little more feedback on this story, but I don't want to force people to review... please? I can only ask please. **

**Turns out this was written, but not edited nor named, so when I found it I just HAD to edit it and post it today! The name doesn't have much to do with the chapter, except for it's about Ashpaw.**

**Review please?**


	7. Mousepaw, Moss and Messages

**Hey everyone! Though there aren't really many reviews, I think I'll update since I want to update more often. So, um, please review? Here's Mousepaw...**

**I don't own Warriors, never have, never will. **

**-x-**

"Mousepaw! Mousepaw!" Mousepaw's eyes widened, a joyous smile crossing her face. She loved being able to hear the clan call her by her own name. And a smile was still plastered to her face as Bramblefang showed her around the territory.

"Now, we have to do something important," Bramblefang meowed, leading Mousepaw over to a large old tree. Stopping at the base of the tree, Bramblefang continued. "We're going to collect moss!"

Mousepaw's heart dropped for a moment. Sunpaw was getting to see the _entire_ territory, she had heard Hazelfeather say so herself! It was so unfair! She had only gotten to see EarthClan territory... she still wanted to see FlameClan territory!

Bramblefang must've caught her disappointment. "Come on, Mousepaw! You're going to need to learn how to collect moss _sometime._ And better now than later, I always say." Seeing a frown on Mousepaw's face, Bramblefang continued. "You don't expect the elders to walk all of the way out here to get their own moss, _do_ you? And what about the queens? Who would watch the kits then?"

"I guess not..." Mousepaw sighed. She still didn't _want_ to collect moss, but she guessed that she probably _should_ since she would never want the elders to walk all of the way our here to get their own moss... _It's not fair, though! Sunpaw's lucky; Hazelfeather would've taken _me_ out if _I_ was her apprentice!_ A flash of guilt surged through Mousepaw. She shouldn't be wishing for a different mentor! That's not something an apprentice should be doing, no, she should be _happy_ to be able to be an apprentice right now!

"Do you ever... dislike your father?" Bramblefang's question caught Mousepaw completely off guard. She looked at him with chock showing clearly as light in her eyes.

"W-what?" Mousepaw choked out.

Bramblefang turned his gaze from her. "I'm sorry. It's just... I've seen the way Molewhisker doesn't quite always pay attention to you or your littermates, and how he looks so sad whenever he looks at you, and... It just made me think..." His gaze returned to hers. "Don't hate your father for what he hasn't done, but love him for what he _has_ done." Mousepaw looked at Bramblefang as if he was going crazy. Why would he care about how _she_ felt towards _her_ father? He must've caught her confusement. "I felt the same way towards my father, Breezefall. He never paid too much attention, but that was only after Jewel had died..." Bramblefang's mother had been a kittypet who died not long after he was born and brought to the clan. Breezefall had gotten _really_ sad, and in one battle he was hurt so much that he retired early.

"I... I don't _hate_ Molewhisker, if that's what you're asking," Mousepaw meowed. She shuffled her paws. "He's just never really _been_ there!" A surge of rage flashed through her, and Mousepaw didn't care if she sounded harsh. She just wanted to get it off her chest! Mousepaw had never really gotten the chance to talk with anyone other than her siblings about how she felt... "I've always wanted him to be there. He left us to grief on our own, and just _look_ what happened to Cloudpaw!" Tears burned her eyes for a moment. "She _refuses_ to speak, since she was so sad... about... Meltdawn..."

Bramblefang pushed his pelt against Mousepaw's, and Mousepaw was thankful for his comfort. He seemed to know that she had been dying to get that out for some time now. He seemed to know her so much, though they had never really talked much since he was a warrior, and she had only been a kit.

"Its okay, Mousepaw," Bramblefang whispered. "I didn't mean to bring up such sorrowful feelings. I just wanted to make sure... that you don't live your life with hatred towards Molewhisker." Bramblefang closed his eyes. "He's been through more than you would ever have guessed..."

Mousepaw tilted her head. Sure, he had lost Meltdawn, but so had they! What else was so heart wrenching about _his_ story? Mousepaw shook the thought away. He had lived a _lot_ longer than she had, he must've suffered at least _some_ before that...

"We should probably get back to camp," Bramblefang meowed quickly, looking up at the sky. "The elders are probably looking for their bedding!" A purr rumbled from Mousepaw's throat. Bramblefang was funny. She was starting too really like him. _Maybe he _will_ be a really good mentor... at least he doesn't seem to be all that harsh!_

Mousepaw grabbed as much moss as she could. But Bramblefang showed her another way to carry moss- under her chin! So when she got back to camp, Mousepaw felt her face grow warm seeing all of the cats looking at her. Some of them purred in delight at seeing a new apprentice learn how to correctly carry moss. Mousepaw just flicked her tail and helped Bramblefang make nests for the elders.

"So now what?" Mousepaw asked, trotting out of the elders den. Sure, they always seemed to love her when she was a _kit_, but when she was an _apprentice_ she had to get the nests right, with absolutely dry moss and the correct mixture of moss, bracken and feathers. Wow, Mousepaw was glad to be out of that den!

"Get something to eat," Bramblefang purred. He flicked his tail to the setting sun. "And go get some rest. You'll need it for tomorrow; we'll be going on the dawn patrol so I can show you the FlameClan border."

Joy filled Mousepaw's soul as her eyes widened. "A _dawn_ patrol! Awesome!" Her tail lashed back and forth. "I can't wait!" _That must be why we didn't see FlameClan territory today..._ Mousepaw raced over to the prey pile and grabbed a fat shrew off of the top. Biting into it, she headed over to her nest in the apprentice's den.

"Hi Mousepaw." Mousepaw looked up to see Thistlepaw lying in his nest, chewing on a squirrel. He smiled at her before resuming eating. _Yep, he's going to have to get used to being nice again, since now _we're_ apprentices too._

"Hi," Mousepaw replied around the shrew before she sat down in her nest and finished off the small rodent. Cloudpaw joined her soon after, carrying a mouse for herself, and nodded to Mousepaw. Mousepaw nodded back, wanting to close her eyes. But she couldn't go to sleep _just_ yet. Driftpaw, Sunpaw, Greenpaw, Splashpaw and all of the other apprentices had to get into the den first. _Then_ she would be able to go to sleep.

"Mousepaw," Thistlepaw whispered, catching her attention. Mousepaw turned to the tomcat and tilted her head to show that she had heard. None of the other apprentices seemed to notice, since they were all chatting about how the day went or growling at one another to be quiet. "Please... be, um, _careful_ around Bramblefang." Before Mousepaw could ask why, he continued. "I've heard that he _likes_ apprentices more than he should. Like, he _likes_ them, likes them. All of the she cat apprentices." A glisten of worry and envy shone in his eyes. "I don't want him to get to you, too. I don't want him to break your heart."

Mousepaw nodded, shocked at what the tomcat had told her. Did Bramblefang really want to hurt her heart? He was her mentor, not her lover! StarClan, she didn't even _have_ a lover! And why would Thistlepaw even _care?_ "Okay, Thistlepaw. Whatever you say..."

**-x-**

**So, how was that? I'll try to update more, sooner. Sound good? Review please!**


	8. A Visitor

**I managed to retype this chapter up from my mom's computer... Sorry for the long wait, but as I've said on my profile, my computer died. With all my files still on it, not backed-up yet. -.-' But I got this one back, after some re-typing of the entire chapter! So please enjoy, I'm going to try to get these updated as I re-type them.**

**I don't own Warriors. Sorry for the long wait, and thanks for your understanding!**

* * *

"So Cloudpaw," Sandmask meowed, motioning to the ferns on the opposite side of the clearing. "I'm going to start a little differently than the other mentors, okay? I know that all of the other mentors willtake you around to show you the borders, or learn how to collect moss, or _something_ like that, but I'm going to be different. Just for today, okay?"

Cloudpaw wanted to purr with amusement. Sandmask was so funny. She just wouldn't stop talking, _ever!_ Cloudpaw blinked at Sandmask and crouched down, ready to learn.

"You know, talking is a part of life," Sandmask sidetracked. "How would you know what happened in a battle? How could you guard and protect your clan? How could you warn someone of something? How could you...?" And the list went on and on.

_How could you tell Sandmask to be quiet?_ Cloudpaw thought, mentally snickering. Cloudpaw just watched as Sandmask got back on topic.

"Okay, so as I was saying," Sandmask meowed, crouching down. She positioned herself across from Cloudpaw. "We'll be learning some fighting moves first. Just the simple ones, but they'll always come in handy." Sandmask arched her back, and lashed out with a forepaw. Cloudpaw flinched as Sandmask's paw came a whisker away from her face. Sandmask purred. "Don't worry; I would never strike my new apprentice! That would be wrong. You don't know any fighting yet. But you will." A proud glimmer shone in her eyes. Cloudpaw wasn't sure if this was the first time she had had an apprentice, but she guessed it was.

"Okay, now," Sandmask meowed as she led Cloudpaw ovre to a soft-barked tree. "Arch your back, and swipe out as hard as you can and as fast as you can, extending your claws all of the way, and then pull them away quickly. Okay?"

Cloudpaw nodded. Arching her back, she extending her claws and attcked the tree, her false enemy. Feeling the bark rip beneath her claws, Cloudpaw felt satisfied. Her first attack, even though her "enemy" was a tree, was a success.

"Good job," Sandmask praised, flicking her tail back and forth.

Until the sky was growing dark, the two cats worked on fighting moves. But if you were just listening in, you might've confused the _two_ for _one_. Sandmask blabbered almost the _entire_ time they were mock fighting.

"I hear something," Sandmask whispered, startling Cloudpaw. She looked around, her eyes wide. Sandmask grew silent, and her claws slid out. Then she called out into the woods, "Who's there?!" Cloudpaw listened carefully until she heard the faint rustle of paws on the groud. A cat!

"You caught me," the cat meowed, eyes flashing. A ginger she cat stepped out of the bushes, her green eyes watching the two cats. "I was coming here to talk with Rushingstar..."

Wish a screech, Sandmask leaped at the ginger she cat before she could finish her sentance. The ginger cat's eyes widened, shocked at the attack. Cloudpaw grinned and followed her mentor into the fray.

"FlameClan scum," Sandmask hissed, clawing the ginger cat's pelt. "Get off of our territory!"

Sandmask bit the cat's tail, causing her to yowl in pain. Cloudpaw lashed out, extending her claws just as Sandmask had showed her. Feeling her claws rip into the cat's pelt, Cloudpaw saw that she had barey made a scratch since this cat's fur was so thick. Frowning, Cloudpaw leaped at the cat, which turned to get away from the apprentice's attack. Sandmask growled and arched her back, ready to attack again.

"Wait!" The cat yowled. "I just want to speak with Rushingstar! Nothing else!" Her eyes grew even wider. "Please, let me speak with him." The ginger she cat's fur was ruffled and splattered with blood, not that you could see it easily because of her pelt color, though.

"Fine," Sandmask growled, keeping her claws unsheathed. She flicked her tail towards camp. "Come on, Cloudpaw. Let's bring this _FlameClan_ cat back to our camp.  
Cloudpaw kept her eyes narrowed and focused on the ginger cat. Sandmask led the way back, her tail high.

"I'm Flameheart," The ginger cat whispered to Cloudpaw, who pretended not to hear. "You're Cloudpaw, right?" Cloudpaw flicked her tail. Flameheart frowned, ger eyes narrowing. "You know, I'm not going to hurt you. You can talk to me."

_As if, you've already been in a fight with me... Not that you even started it, though._ Cloudpaw felt a little guilty, since she couldn't really _tell_ Flameheart that she didn't talk. _Poor Flameheart, she must think that I'm ignoring her..._

"Quit bothering my apprentice," Sandmask meowed roughly, glaring at the she cat untrustingly. "She's not going to answer you... ever." Cloudpaw hung her head slightly, thinking that she wouldn't even be able to thank Sandmask for training her.

"Who not?" Flameheart asked.

"None of _your_ business," Sandmask spat, still glaring at the she cat. She must've _really_ not liked FlameClan at all. Sandmask didn't seem really trusting towards cats outside of the clan. But Cloudpaw didn't want to trust this she cat- _Flameheart_- either. She came from FlameClan- and her pelt stank horribly, too!

"FlameClan!" Cloudpaw heard a cat inside of the camp mew, probably Plumpaw. They were right outside of the entrance. Flameheart licked her ruffled pelt. Cloudpaw licked her own pelt, too, since it was ruffled. But there was no blood on her elt. _Poor Flameheart... she got hurt..._

"Rushingstar!" Sandmask called as the three of them walked into camp. Rushingstar was already making his way over to them. "You've got a visitor, Flameheart." She nodded to the she cat.

"FlameClan," Rushingstar meowed, nodding to Flameheart. "So Flameheart, what brings you here?"

"Can I speak with you... _elsewhere?_ Where there aren't so many cats around?" Flameheart asked, looking around at all of the curious cats and glaring faces. Rushingstar nodded and led her over towards his den.

_Darn! I wanted to know what she wanted so badly... It's just about sundown! What would FlameClan be doing, sending her at a time like this? Can't it wait until the morning?_ Cloudpaw looked over at Sndmask, who was cleaning Flameheart's blood off of her pelt. Sandmask looked up.

"Go get some prey and get some rest with the other apprentices in your new den," Sandmask meowed, nodding to the prey pile. "Get some good sleep because we'll be seeing the territories tomorrow, okay?"

Cloudpaw nodded before she headed over to get some prey off of the pile. Sniffing at it, she spied a good looking mouse on the side. Grabbing it, she looked up to see Splashpaw standing near the prey pile, too.

"Hey Mute," Splashpaw meowed. He had given her the nickname of "Mute" a few moons earlier. Cloudpaw just glared at him and turned away. But Splashpaw jumped in front of her. "Why're you leaving so quickly? Can't we chat some?"

Cloudpaw shook her head and tried to go around the tomcat, but he blocked her path once more. _Okay, now you're annyoing me, buddy. Move. Or _I_ will move _you_. Got it?_ Cloudpaw pushed at him, but he wouldn't move. Her claws were aching to hit him right in the face, but she had more self control than that.

"Come on, give me some _words_," Splashpaw meowed, getting in her face. "_Back off, get away from me, leave me alone!_ Tell me something!" His breath stank, and Cloudpaw wrinkled her nose in disgust. He noticed and growled at her. "Fine! Be a quiet little piece of fox dung, then, why don't you?!"

"Get away from her!" Sandmask growled as she padded over. "Quit bothering _my_ apprentice, and get to the den or else you'll be cleaning the _elder's den_ for he next moon!" Sandmask looked threatening, so Splashpaw left. Sandmask started muttering, "I _will_ be reporting this to Rushingstar, once he's done with _Flameheart_." Sandmask looked sympathetically at Cloudpaw. "You should go to the den, too, and finish that. Join your littermates." Sandmask gave her a smile, which Cloudpaw happily returnedd. She headed over towards the den and sat down in her nest.

"There's a murderer roaming the forest," Sunpaw was bragging to the other apprentices. Cloudpaw listened in on their conversation for a while before she turned and saw Mousepaw talking with Thistlepaw. _I wonder what they're talking about..._ So she listened in.

"Please... be, um, _careful_ around Bramblefang." Cloudpaw almost gasped. Bramblefang was Mousepaw's _mentor_, who would she be _careful _around him?!

"I've heard that he _likes_ apprentices more than he should. Like, he _likes_ them, likes them. All of the she cat apprentices." Cloudpaw didn't like what she was hearing. Did Bramblefang like Mousepaw? Like _that?_ Or is Thistlepaw just jealous that the tabby warrior gets to hang out with Mousepaw instead of him?

"I don't want him to get to you, too. I don't want him to break your heart." _Yep, he likes her. I wonder if Mousepaw knows that. She probably doesn't... she never seems to notice things like that... But Thistlepaw shouldn't be mean to Bramblefang about that! _Cloudpaw's fur ruffled, but she just ignored the tomcat. Mousepaw didn't seem to catch on that he liked her. And Cloudpaw was glad for that.

_Oh why, Meltdawn, does life have to be so weird? One moment I'm a kit in the nursery, with Splashkit and Thistlekit bullying me, and the next Thistlepaw is falling for my _sister_?! Please, at least let _some_ of my life be simple!_

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**So, how was that? Took a while, but I retyped the chapter up! What do you think of ThistleXMouse? I don't like Thistlepaw very much since he was mean to Cloudpaw for so long, but cats can change... love can change people. :)**

**Please review, and the next chapter should be up soon! (As soon as I retype it! So not that long!)**


	9. Can I Stay?

**Okay, so I know that I was going to update sooner, but I haven't gotten to. Weekends have been _crazy_ filled with lots of stuff, including birthday parties (not mine), Halloween parties (at my friends house), and going out of town to others' houses. (Don't get me started on weekday's homework.)**

**But, I'll update now. Before a birthday party starts. (Still not mine.) :D I don't own Warriors, as you can tell.**

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"Rushingstar," Flameheart meowed, looking at the leader after dipping her head in respect. The two cats were in Rushinstar's den, with no other cats around. Flameheart was thankful for that. It was so quiet that she could talk freely with the leader... _alone_.

"Why has Flamestar sent you here?" Rushinstar asked, tipping her head to one side.

Flameheart purred with laughter. _Flame_Clan, _Flame_heart, _Flame_star... that clan _really_ liked the word "flame". "Actually, Flamestar didn't send me _here."_ rushingstar looked over at Flamheart, willing for her to explain. "Well, Flamestar... exiled me."

Rushingstar gasped, "And why did he do that?"

"Flamestar was _wrong!_" Flameheart hissed, startling the StreamClan leader. "He... he took the word of a _kit_ over one of his trusted _warriors_..." Flameheart felt her body shake for a moment. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to think more of what happened, but she knew that she _had_ to tell Rushingstar... "One of the kits blamed me for killing another of the kits, Rosekit. I would _never_, ever hurt any kit in the clan. I don't know why he even _believed_ the kit... If he didn't, and looked for some proof, then he would've realized that it wasn't me. I was only bringing prey to the kits when Rosekit was... found."

Tears streamed from Flameheart's eyes, and Rushingstar looked at er trustingly. He nodded and sighed, turning away from her.

"So if _you_ didn't kill Rosekit, then we've got a murderer somewhere in this forest of ours, yes?" Rushingstar asked. "That means that no cat is safe at the moment." Rushingstar turned back to Flameheart. "Thank you for telling me this."

"That's not the _entire_ reason I came here," Flameheart admitted, shuffling her paws. "Yes, I wanted to warn you and all, but I also came here because... I'm _not_ a rogue, and I'll never be fit to live life as one. I'm a warrior at heart, and if my _first_ clan doesn't want me..." She looked pleadly at Rushingstar. "Would I be able to find a home in StreamClan?"

Rushingstar paused, unsure of what to say. "I would have to talk it through with my senior warriors, and the rest of the clan. I can't promise you anything, and I _sure_ wouldn't tell your story of a murderer to anyone... But I can see what I can do, I guess."

"Thank you Rushingstar," Flameheart meowed, dipping her head to the older tomcat. "I hope StreamClan welcomes me. I... I wish I had been found here, instead of _there_." Her eyes lingered on the camp entrance, looking towards where FlameClan territory would be. She couldn't help but think of her past. Not being able to remember much, Flameheart could still remember _some._

She could remember being abused by her "family", Silver was the name of her mother's sister, the cat who "raised" her, and Smoke was Silver's mate. Everyday, she still had scars from the pain they had caused her back when she had been young and stuck with them, unable to fend for herself in the cruel world. She could still _feel_ the pain of their clans as they ripped them across her back, and she could still see the _murderous_ glint in their eyes, the _hatred_ Silver felt towards her mother for leaving her with Silver.

"StreamClan would've brought you up as a loyal warrior, too," Rushingstar whispered. "Maybe... we'll see... what I can do."

Flameheart dipped her head before leaving his den. Rushingstar called for her to go and see their medicine cat, Mallowfoot. So she did. Padding over to the den, she spotted two cats sitting there, sorting herbs. _One of them must be Mallowfoot._

"Excuse me?" Flameheart asked, getting both of their attentions at once. "Is one of you Mallowfoot? Rushingstar sent me to get patched up." Licking at her fur, which was now stained with dry blood, she added, "I'm Flameheart, by the way."

"Welcome Flameheart," The older of the two cats meowed. "I'm Mallowfoot, and this is my apprentice, Skunktail." Skunktail dipped his head to her. "Skunktail, fetch some marigold. You've got some scratches, now, don't you Flameheart? Who was it? Bramblefang? Stormfire? Weedwing?"

"Sandmask," Flameheart answered. Mallowfoot nodded. "She was only protecting her apprentice, Cloudpaw, I'm guessing. Cloudpaw isn't very old, now, is she?"

"Brand new apprentice," Mallowfoot answered, taking the marigold from Skunktail and applying it to Flameheart's wounds. "Sandmask is a fine mentor, I'm guessing. I just hope she'll be able to watch Cloudpaw go into battle without protecting her from every blow and every claw." Mallowfoot checkled.

Flameheart nodded in agreement. She ruffled her ginger fur, making the darker ginger tabby stripes more visible. She loved the way her tabby marks stuck out, so brightly. And the way her green eyes glowed like fire when she looked into a puddle, just to try to outshine her pelt. Flameheart was just happy at the moment, so it made her think... a lot.

"Go and get some prey, then come back here. We'll make a sent for you here before Rushingstar decides what he's going to do with you." Flameheart looked up, the sound of Mallowfoot's voice breaking her from her trance. His eyes were glued to her, as if her pelt was _actually_ on fire.

"Okay," Flameheart meowed, nodding her head to the two medicine cats/ Flameheart padded over towards the pile of prey. But she stopped when she noticed a cat standing in front of that apprentice, Cloudpaw. He was hissing at her, but Flameheart wasn't sure if she should be the one to break it up. She wasn't really a clanmate yet... So Flameheart decided to just listen. If things got out of paw, she would step in.

"Come on, give me some _words,_" the cat spat in her face. "_Back off, get away from me, leave me alone!_ Tell me something1" Flameheart could feel a growl rising in her throat. "Fine! Be a quiet little piece of fox dung, then, why don't you?!"

Before she could step in, Flameheart saw Sandmask dash over and hiss, "Get away from her! Quit bothering _my_ apprentice, and get to the den or else you'll be cleaning the _elders_ _den_ for the next moon!" Sandmask looked threatening, and Flameheart waited as Splashpaw left. Sandmask started muttering something almost too quiet for Flameheart to hear, but as she strained her ears she listened in on what the she cat was saying. "I _will_ be reporting this to Rushingstar once he's done with _Flameheart_."

_Huh, she doesn't seem too happy about me being here,_ Flameheart thought. Once Sandmask and Cloudpaw were gone from the prey pile, Flameheart padded over and grabbed a small mouse. She didn't deserve to eat this clan's food, since she hadn't hunted for them... yet.

"Who are you?" A cat growled, padding over to her. His eyes locked with hers, but Flameheart didn't return his glare.

"I am Flameheart," Flameheart answered, dipping her head to the tomcat. "Rushingstar's talking about... letting me stay here. Mallowfoot told me to get some prey." She knew that if he wouldn't listen to _her_, he _would_ listen to the leader and medicine cat.

"Hmm," The tomcat growled. "Well, if you _may_ stay here, which clan are you from?"

"I... I _was_ from... FlameClan," Flameheart answered. She saw shock and pain go through the tomcat's eyes at the mention of the clan.

"My name's Molewhisker," the tomcat meowed, flicking his tail. "Stay away from me. FlameClan cats _ruined my life._" And with those final words, he stalked away from her, mutting to himself.

"Well," Flameheart meowed, puffing up her chest. That was slightly offending.

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**Soo... Please review, and watch for t he next chapter... soon?**

**And _question: _Has anyone read Survivors yet? I own the book, but haven't read it. Is it good? (I wish the Erins would spend _all_ of their time on Warriors...) **


	10. Fishing and Surprises

**I am sooo sorry for the lack of update. I have my reasons, but I don't feel like sharing them. Just know that... updates should be soon. I hope.**

**Enjoy the chapter! I don't own Warriors!**

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"Come on, Driftpaw," Weedwing meowed, leading Driftpaw out of camp.

"Coming," Driftpaw meowed, following the deputy out of camp and towards the EarthClan border. They were going to be hunting today, and Driftpaw was excited! But there was something else on his mind at the moment.

"Hey Weedwing, who was that ginger cat who showed up last night with Sandmask and Cloudpaw?" Driftpaw asked, suspicious. The cat reeked of _FlameClan_.

"That was Flameheart," Weedwing answered.

Driftpaw stiffened and froze in place. F-Flameheart? Wasn't that the cat Sunpaw had said _murdered_ a kit in FlameClan? And now she was in _StreamClan_? Were they all crazy?! Weedwing must've noticed that Driftpaw had stopped walking and turned around.

"What's wrong with you, thorn in your paw?" Weedwing asked, but not in a mean way. He looked concerned.

"Sunpaw said.. that when they met FlameClan cats on the bordr... that the FlameClan cats had warned them about a murderer in the forest," Driftpaw stated, shuffling his paws. "Aparently, someone murdered one of their kits, Rosekit. And... they said that cat's name was _Flameheart_."

Weedwing's eyes widened before he shook his head. "Does Rushingstar know this?" His voice was a little sharp. Driftpaw cringed before shrugging. Weedwing sighed. "Hazelfeather probably told him. Either that, or Sunpaw's was making up a story."

Driftpaw remembered a time where if someone accused Sunpaw of doing something, he would be all over them defending Sunpaw. But ever since Driftpaw had started hanging out with Splashpaw more, they had grown apart. Driftpaw never understood, and didn't like it that Sunpaw was trying to pick his friends for him. He felt guilty that he would let other cats accuse his brother of making up a story about something as serious as _death_. They _all_ knew what death was like to other cats, first hand.

"Okay," Driftpaw meowed, pushing the murder as far from his mind as he could. But he couldn't completely ignore it- ot hit home pretty close.

"Now, we're going to be working on catching fish today," Weedwing meowed, flicking his tail towards the river. "Don't be adraid to get your paws wet. Falling in the river can sometimes get you the biggest catch. But stay away from the rapids- theyre a place that you _never_ want to go."

Driftpaw nodded, thinking of the sharp rocks and the fast paced water that would drown him as the rocks ripped him apart. Shivering, he looked into the water amd saw little fish on the edge. Resisting the urge to leap headfirst into the river and scatter the minnows, like he had so many times while still a kit, Driftpaw turned to Weedwing, waiting for instruction.

"Sit at the edge and don't let your shadow fall into the river," Weedwing ordered, planting himself at the wat'er edge. He sat perfectly still, and Driftpaw copied his every movement. Weedwing flashed out one of his forepaws into the stream, scooping a silvery fish from the water and into the sky. Driftpaw watched, eyes wide in amazement. The fish landed on the ground and Weedwing was on it, giving it a killing bite before it could flop back into the river.

"That was _so_ cool!" Driftpaw squealed like a kit, though he stayed where he was. He didn't want to scare the fish with his shadow. _Can they hear me? Do they even have ears?_

"Your turn," Weedwing meowed, licking his lips and nodding towards the river.

Driftpaw nodded, copying Weedwing's every movements. He spotted a small, plump silvery fish and watched how fast it moved. Not very fast. Driftpaw grinned and flashed out one of his paws, a little slower than Weedwing had, but since the fish was slow it didn't have enough time to escape Driftpaw's claws. Watching as it flew into the air with a single swipe; Driftpaw leaped at it and crushed it onto the ground. Waiting for it to move, Driftpaw noticed that it didn't even _try_ to escape. He turned, head tilted, to Weedwing, who was purring with amusement.

"What?" Driftpaw asked. "Did I do it wrong?"

"No," Weedwing laughed. "But you slammed it so hard onto the ground that you didn't even have to give it a killing bite. You squashed it to death. The look on your face just made me laugh."

Driftpaw grinned, watching Weedwing's wide grin. Driftpaw knew that deputies didn't get to have a lot of fun, and was glad that he was able to make his mentor laugh a little.

"Anyway," Weedwing meowed, clearing his throat. "We should catch a few more and head back to camp. They'll be expecting us to be back before sunhigh so I can organize the patrols."

Driftpaw nodded. Getting the deputy for a mentor meant a lot more work, sometimes in less time than normal, but aparently Rushingstar thought that he was ready for it. Driftpaw grinned to himself. Of _course_ he was ready for it! He was going to be the bes warrior ever!

After the two cats had caught a few more fish and Driftpaw had fallen into the river _twice_, Weedwing lead his apprentice back towards camp, both carrying fish proudly. Driftpaw held his head high, despite the fact that he was soaking wet.

"What happened?" Driftpaw was a little shocked to see Molewhisker runningg over towards him, eyes wide.

"Fell in the river some," Driftpaw murmured around the fish that he was carrying.

Molewhisker sighed and started to lick Driftpaw's head. Driftpaw resisted the urge to flinch away, since Molewhisker had never acted like he cared about them so much. Driftpaw knew that he _did_, he was just really sad after loosing Meltdawn that it made him depressed all of the time. It was just so new to Driftpaw to see his feather actually caring for him.

"Let's take you over to the medicine cat's den and get you warmed up. We wouldn't want you to catch a cold so soon into your apprenticeship," Molewhisker meowed, looking over at Weedwing, who nodded to him. Weedwing seemed pleased that Molewhisker was acting so overprotective all of the sudden, and Driftpaw couldn't say no to his father. Dropping the fish on the pile next to Weedwing's fish, Driftpaw thanked his mentor before scurrying to follow his father.

"Nice catch," Molewhisker murmured along the way.

"Thanks..." Driftpaw meowed, not used to his father congradulating him.

Once they were alone, Molewhisker turned to Driftpaw. "I'm so sorry, Driftpaw," Molewhisker meowed, his voice soft and his eyes sad. "I didn't mean to leave you to grief alone. I just..."

"You were sad Meltdawn died," Driftpaw meowed, nodding his head. "So were we. It would've helped a lot had you been there for us." Molewhisker hung his head. "Maybe you could've convinced Cloudpaw to talk again." Molewhisker shook his head, and Driftpaw knew that he was probably right. Only Meltdawn would be able to make Cloudpaw talk again, and she was dead.

"But," Driftpaw meowed, knowing that he had to talk to his father about this. There was no other way around this. "At least we had _each other_. You didn't have anyone to talk to, besides the other warriors. We had one another; we _knew_ how each other felt because we were feeling it too. We were there for one another." Driftpaw paused enough to to take a deep breath. "Are you going to be here for us now?"

Molewhisker nodded, a new light in his eyes that Driftpaw had never seen before, after Meltdawn't death. Detirmination shone brightly in his eyes, and Driftpaw felt proud to call the cat in front of him as father.

"Molewhisker," Driftpaw meowed, thinking he should voice those feelings. "I'm proud that you're my father."

Driftpaw couldn't miss the pain in his eyes, the gult and shock... Why would Molewhisker be shocked? Driftpaw shook it from his mind, telling himself he didn't see what he _thought_ he did. _It was all just my imagination... right?_

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**The irony... poor kitties don't know the secret. I think Weedwing's proud that Molewhisker's standing up and being a father that they need, even if he isn't really their father.**

**How would they react if they found out who their father really was? I wonder... review please?**


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